


A Time Before Dusk

by PokeChan



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: 2015 KuroFai Olympics, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Other, Team Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4164540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokeChan/pseuds/PokeChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over 200 years had past since the Great Hero and the Princess of Wisdom had rebuilt the Mirror of Twilight. A reluctant Kurogane is chosen to become the next ambassador to the Twili. In the Twilight he meets an adventurous Twili named Fai who dreams of seeing the world of Light, but shadows have begun sneaking through Hyrule's great time of peace and danger lurks where it never has before.</p><p>[[No prior Zelda knowledge required to enjoy this fic!]]</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Time Before Dusk

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this for the 2015 KuroFai Olympics, my first ever year competing, and I really hope you all like it. ~~If you're reading this before July 10, 2015 please head on over to the DreamWidth KuroFai community for more great fics and some friendly, competitive voting!~~
> 
> Huge thanks to [Clover](http://fieldofclover.tumblr.com/) for being a huge supporter and fantastic beta.
> 
> At the bottom of this fic is a fantastic fanart done by my wonderful friend Leelee. Enjoy!!

_Generations ago a great calamity struck the land. A terrible darkness fell across the world of light, swallowing the sun and casting shadow over all. In that great time of need a Hero arose, wielding the Blade of Evil’s Bane to cut away at the shadows. Together with the Princess of Wisdom and the banished Princess of Twilight, the Hero prevailed and saved the world._

_The portal between the two worlds -- Light and Twilight -- was destroyed. Heartbroken, the Princess of Wisdom and the Hero sought to rebuild it, for they were now connected to the Twilight and its people. They searched far and wide for the many shards and it was not until both were old and grey that they finally succeeded._

_In order to reform the portal the Hero gave up one of two great power sources, a Sol, a source of light and warmth from the Twilight, much like the Light’s own sun. The second Sol he had forged into a sword, the Blade of Light. This blade was given to the one chosen as ambassador to the Twilight._

“Over two hundred years have past since the Mirror of Twilight was rebuilt. To this day, the relationship between the Hyruleans and the Twili are strong, just as the Hero and the Princesses would have wanted. The time has come, however, for a new ambassador to be chosen,” Princess Sakura said, looking pointedly at the disgruntled Sheikah standing before her. “This is a great honor, Kurogane.”

“I don’t want it,” Kurogane said. “The elders even told you that they suggest you send someone else, I’m no diplomat. Tomoyo’s perfectly capable, I’m sure.”

While it was true that Kurogane’s diplomatic skills left a great deal to be desired, that was only part of the reason he was reluctant to agree to step into the Twilight. 

The Blade of Light was not only an ancient tool created with power and magic few understood, it was also what kept the ambassador from morphing into a beast upon entrance to the Twilight. The catch was that the Blade was kept with the Twilight ruler when the time came to decide on a new Hyrulean ambassador. 

It was a test to see if the chosen Hyrulean was worthy. Most people would simply become spirits, little more than wispy impressions of oneself, in the Twilight. Those with power in their hearts and soul would become either a Holy Beast, if the heart was pure and good, or a Cursed One, if the heart was a dark and selfish place. Only when a Holy Beast entered the throne room of the Twili would the Blade of Light be handed over to the Hyruleans again. 

Kurogane didn’t need some magical transformation forced on him by the world on the other side of a mirror to tell him what was in his heart.

“You know very well that is not all that’s needed to become the ambassador,” Sakura said sternly.

From beside her Syaoran, the princess’ betrothed, nodded, but it was Sakura’s personal Sheikah guard, Tomoyo, that spoke up. “I’m sworn to stay by the princess’ side, Kurogane. Are you honestly suggesting I should break my vows because you find a new assignment distasteful? Oh, how our ancestors must be rolling in shame in the afterlife!”

It was said dramatically, her hand even flying to her forehead as she leaned comically on Syaoran for support, as if she were about to faint from the sheer ludicrousy of the whole situation. From beside her on the throne, Sakura held back her giggles behind a dainty hand. 

“While a bit… over the top, Tomoyo has a point,” Sakura said. “There are reasons you were chosen for this, and as a Sheikah and personal friend, I expected you to at least try.”

“Besides,” Syaoran finally spoke up, “The Twili are already expecting you, so you’ve at least got to make an appearance.”

\--

“Where does she get off being so regal?” Kurogane griped with no real heat to it. 

If he were honest he’d have to admit he was a little impressed, and very proud. He’d known Sakura since she’d been born, tiny and round and pink. He’d been all but raised and trained in Hyrule Castle and he’d watched the little princess grow from a chubby, helpless infant to the strong willed and kind woman she was now. The first time he’d seen her he’d been six, and her a babe of only a few hours old, and he’d wondered how something so small and frail could ever lead a country. Twenty years later, he wondered how he could have ever doubted her. 

“She is the princess,” his father said good naturedly, used to Kurogane’s temper and distaste for being ordered around. “She’ll be queen soon enough, once she marries of course.”

Oh no, Kurogane thought, feeling himself wince. There was that word again.

“Speaking of which,” his father continued. “Anyone new in your life? Your mother and I aren’t getting any younger you know.”

Kurogane groaned and rolled his eyes in a reaction most unbefitting of a high ranking Sheikah warrior like himself, but he figured it could be forgiven considering this was the tenth time his father had asked about his romantic life in the last month.

“Father, I’ve just been chosen to make regular trips into the Twilight, this isn’t exactly the ideal situation to be thinking of starting a family,” Kurogane said.

“So, you’re accepting the position!” his father boomed merrily.

Looking at his father, Kurogane wondered where people got the idea that the Sheikah people were stone faced, humorless, stumps. The man was an esteemed leader of their tribe, husband of the Sheikah matriarch, well known and respected by the royal family and their own people, and he laughed more than some of the nobles Kurogane had observed in court. He’d even go so far as to call him jolly on a good day.

“It’s not like I’ve got much of a choice,” Kurogane said, eyes scanning the practice field full of soldiers. There had been no wars in Kurogane’s lifetime, but his father had seen some and it was foolish to not keep your army in peak condition. “Her royal highness wouldn’t hear it. Tomoyo wasn’t much help either.”

Chuckling to himself Kurogane’s father waved a hand at him. “Tomoyo has her place and she fits her role quite well. You will too, just give it time.”

Looking out over the training fields Kurogane frowned at the setting sun. Hyruleans and Twili had been working together to keep balance in the worlds for generations, well before Kurogane’s time. The traditions were set and the people knew their places. The entire thing was practically scripted.

Except for which transformation would take place on the other side of the mirror. That depended solely on him.

\--

He was given a week to prepare. Seven days for him to gather his wits and ready his life for its new duties. It would take two days to travel and reach the Mirror. He spent three days reading and researching the Twili, pouring over historic texts and legends of the Hero and Princesses. There were a lot of things in the legendary texts that weren’t in the oral stories. 

He found a single text with illustrations of the Twili, its directions given by the Hero himself. They promised to be the most accurate depictions of what the Twili were like.

Common Twili were not shaped like any person in the Light. They were rounded, stretched, smoothed down by their world. They bore little resemblance to their long-dead ancestors. The text hailed them as peaceful folk, kind and gentle and trusting. It was said that none of them spoke any tongue known in Hyrule, but an annotation had been made to tell how scholars were trying to exchange language from across the realms. 

Noble Twili came in two types. There were the ones who resembled the common Twili, but held more powerful magics, and there were the ones who resembled Hylians, more slender and tall with longer arms, legs and necks. The Hylian-like Twili were rare, according to the text. Only ever a handful of them existed at a time. Their magic was powerful and ancient.

The body of any Twili was blue-grey. They would be patterned with stretches of curling, black skin, each one unique to that Twili. They had eyes the color of the sunset, red and gold and orange . 

Everything Kurogane read told him about how kind but powerful the Twili were. And, no matter how hard Kurogane looked, nothing could be found about the details of their dark past and how they came to be in the Twilight. Only the vaguest of legends had been transcribed for future generations.

Three days spent in the back of the Castle’s library had been more than enough to last Kurogane a good, long while. He saddled up his horse, a fine mare named Souhi, and rode out, leaving a message behind for his father and the princess. The last two days he had before he needed to head towards the Gerudo Desert he would spend with his mother. 

Their village was small, hidden away in the slopes and crevices of the mountains, a few hours from Kakariko and the Gorons. During the Great Hero’s time the village had fallen, abandoned and overrun with monsters. The matriarch alone had stayed, locked away in a hut, awaiting the Hero. The village has since been rebuilt and expanded. The Sheikah were now a community once more.

“I told the elders you would rise just fine to the challenge,” his mother said. It had been her who had overturned the elders’ petition to have Sakura reconsider her choice to have Kurogane act as ambassador to the Twili. Her faith in him made him hold his head higher, but it did very little to make the job more desirable. 

“I wish you hadn’t,” Kurogane said, reaching over his mother to fix the crooked window shutter. He’d make sure to fix that properly before he left. “She might have listened to them.”

“Kurogane, I’m surprised at you,” his mother tutted. “For a boy who has spent his life rising to every challenge he could find, directed at him _or not_ , this is very strange behavior for you.” She took his hands and looked up at his face. For a moment he wondered just when he’d gotten so much taller than her. “What’s really holding you back from throwing yourself into this like you have with everything else, dear?”

He didn’t know how to answer her, didn’t know what to say. So, he sighed and kissed her hands. “I’m not a boy, mother. I haven’t been for years.”

He knew he hadn’t gotten away with not answering her, but she smiled and laughed and shook her head. One hand came to rest on his cheek and like the thousand times before he leaned into her gentle touch. “No, I suppose not, but you’ll always be my boy.”

Kurogane always enjoyed coming home and spending time in the village. He’d spent so long at the Castle and in Castle Town once his training had started that he didn’t even realize he was homesick until he had the mountain air filling his lungs and he could feel the hard, dry earth beneath his feet. It would be even harder to return home now that he was meant to play ambassador. 

His mother understood, though. She made regular trips into Castle Town and he was sure they’d find ways to see each other once Kurogane understood what exactly was being asked of him now. There would be a great many changes in his life now, but there had been changes before and it didn’t bother him.

\--

Kurogane had been to the desert before as a teen, a boy on the cusp of manhood. He didn’t recall being overly fond of the place and its wind and heat and nasty little monsters, but he also didn’t recall despising it as much as did in this moment, following alongside the small caravan -- a handful of elite guards, a pair of navigators, and Sakura, plus a generous amount of supplies for them all -- that was heading to the Sun Temple.

The Sun Temple had once been a prison, used to hold Hyrule’s most dastardly criminals. The sages of old had abandoned it and had allowed it to fall into disrepair. When the Mirror of Twilight had been rebuilt the prison had been purified, the many curses of the tortured dead removed and laid to rest, and turned into a temple dedicated to the sun, which brought Twilight to the world of Light each day. 

When they arrived the monks greeted them heartily, honored and thrilled to be receiving a visit from the princess. It was a hike to reach the top of the tower that was the Sun Temple. Only a handful of pulleys still worked safety enough to permit Sakura use them. For most of the trip upwards they would be climbing stairs. 

The interior was a complete contrast to the sandstone of the outer walls. Bright colors lined the walls and mosaics told stories as they walked, their colors shimmering in the flicker of torchlight. History was painted and tiled on these walls, once cursed and forgotten. Stained glass threw even more color into the halls as the sun shot through them, dazzling beams of yellow and red and blue caught the eye and bringing life to the very air itself. 

Once outside again, and travelling up the final flight of stairs leading to the Mirror Chamber, they were greeted by the desert below, awash with burning red as the sun set. The sandstone of the steps and walls still radiated heat from the day, but the air and wind were already markedly cooler. Torches had been lit before their arrival, the flames blending in with the dying light of day.

It all seemed a bit theatrical to Kurogane. 

The group halted and the sage of the temple bowed to them. Gesturing to the raised dais he said “If Her Highness and the ambassador would please step forward.”

Kurogane stepped up alongside Sakura and together they followed the sage up the handful of stairs.

There before them stood the Mirror. It was much larger than Kurogane expected: on the stand the Mirror stood just higher than Kurogane himself. What was truly impressive, though, was the humongous monolith situated across from the dais. It looked as if it was made of the same sandstone that the temple was built from, except it was pitch black. From where he stood, Kurogane could also see carvings etched in the surface, though what they were eluded him as they were dull and worn by time. 

The ritual to awaken the Mirror began and Kurogane’s mind drifted. All he knew of the Twilight and its people was what he’d read in the legends. The Twili never came to the world of Light, they couldn’t stand it; even their most powerful magicians would have needed to spin impossibly advanced magic to walk among Kurogane and other Hyruleans. 

“Kurogane,” at the sound of his name he tuned back into the sage’s long winded speech. “As a member of the Royal Guard, as a member of the Sheikah Tribe, and as one who dwells within this land of Light, do you swear upon pain of death that you will do your utmost to uphold the laws and traditions inherent in keeping peace with those of the Twilight?”

“I swear, so long as I breathe and my heart beats, that I will continue along the path laid out by my forebears, towards peace,” he recited. He then turned to Sakura, took a knee, and offered up the sword he’d wielded since he’d been old enough to train with steel. “With this, I renew my oath, to serve both the Light and Twilight, a bridge between the two worlds, at the behest of you, my princess.”

“Go forth, Kurogane, warrior of the Sheikah, and become our bridge, the one who connects us.” Sakura’s voice was steady and commanding even as she smiled down at him where he knelt. Her words were clear and rang easily around the Mirror Chamber. Her surety and kind smile eased the hammering of his heart, if just a little. 

Kurogane stood and Sakura, with a wave of her hand, activated the Mirror. It was a sight to behold. The face of the Mirror shined a pure, blinding white before projecting the symbols etched onto its surface through the air and then onto the black monolith. There the symbols seemed to come alive, spreading out and pulsing as the portal spun, waiting for Kurogane to pass through it.

Without hesitation, Kurogane stepped onto the plate. Within seconds a small flight of stairs appeared before him, leading up to the portal the Mirror had summoned. “Head to the castle throne room straight away,” Sakura said from behind him. “You’ll know where it is once you see it.”

Huffing, more to himself than the group of people gathered to see him off, he took the first step. “Someone should really think about getting the ambassador a map.”

That was the last thing he said before he entered the Twilight.

The feeling of being transported was bizarre. It was like what he’d imagine being unmade felt like, his whole body broken down into tiny pieces. It wasn’t painful, but his skin crawled and pinpricks ran both on and under his skin. It made him uncomfortably aware of each part of his body, from each individual strand of hair to his very bones and blood. 

When he landed in the Twilight Kurogane had a single moment to take in the world before him, quiet and serene, before the transformation began.

The transformation was painful. He could feel his body changing, bones snapping and rearranging, his skin stretching and his body contorting. It couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, but the agony -- because he honestly couldn’t call it anything else -- echoed through him for several minutes and made it feel as if he’d been there for hours. 

Once the pain had subsided to more tolerable levels, Kurogane pushed himself up from where he’d fallen. Immediately he could feel the difference in what he was. For starters, he was standing on four paws rather than two feet. He also felt fangs in his mouth and a tail behind him. He managed to stand and take stock of himself. If he had to guess, he would say he was a dog or wolf of some sort. 

It didn’t much matter to him one way or the other, the important factor was that he was undoubtedly a Holy Beast.

Kurogane paced back and forth a few times, getting the hang of moving in his new body well enough so that he didn’t have to worry about making a fool of himself in front of the Twili court. Comfortable enough to walk without tripping over his own paws, Kurogane looked towards the city.

Sakura’s instructions hadn’t been wrong. There was no question as to which building was the Twilight Palace. It stood tall and proud, towers spiralling up into the sky. The entire city was breathtaking, but the Palace was a wonder all its own.

Kurogane didn’t know what he’d been expecting of the Twili City, but as he made his way to the Palace gates he realized it hadn’t been this. The streets were empty, doors and windows shut. No one was outside, not vendors, not children, not even any animals. The world around him was empty.

There was a good chance it was purposeful. Each new ambassador was a risk. The Twili gambled on the good judgement of the Hyrulean monarchy to send them a trustworthy person. Determining who was harboring darkness in their hearts was not an exact science. No one could peer into a soul and know it completely. Not even the Goddesses could.

If these people had been expecting Kurogane they had probably taken precautions in case he had turned into a Cursed One. The idea that the Twili were unsure if Kurogane might have been worthy or not didn’t sting as much as he expected it to. 

The front gates to the Palace were open in clear invitation. The entrance hall was narrow and long. Few things adorned the walls, a handful of pedestals with intricately designed vases, two or three tapestries with delicately detailed pictures that held nothing but mystery to Kurogane. Mostly it was just dark, blank wall covered in angular carvings similar to what had appeared on the monolith in the Mirror Room. 

At the end of the entrance hall there was no door, but a heavy curtain. Kurogane could hear the hushed voices of what he assumed were the Twili nobility. Taking a moment to make sure he didn’t look like some slobbering mutt Kurogane pushed his way past the curtains and into the throne room. And all fell silent.

“Well well, the surprises just don’t stop coming today.”

There were fewer Twili present than Kurogane would have expected, used to the almost packed sessions held at Hyrule Castle the large room seemed spacious. No more than thirty Twili stood and sat around the throne room. 

The one who had spoken was a woman, her long limbs draped languidly over the throne in a way that seemed completely relaxed but nearly had Kurogane wincing in discomfort simply by looking at her. Next to the throne stood a thin, lanky Twili with messy, pale hair and attentive, golden eyes. On the other side were a pair of very small Twili who reminded Kurogane of children. All the other Twili stood behind him. 

He walked over to her, careful to keep his head high and his steps light. He came to a halt several paces from her and waited.

“You must be the new ambassador,” she said. Her voice was easy and she spoke with purpose, slow and meaningful. Slowly, she unfolded herself from the throne and stood. “There’s hasn’t been a wolf in the throne room since the time of the Hero. I’m quite impressed with your princess’ choice.”

Kurogane huffed, unable to speak, and continued to wait.

“My name is Yuuko, and I am the Twilight Queen. It’s lovely to meet you, O Holy Beast from the Light.” With a snap of sharp, clawed fingers the pair of small Twili, only as tall as Kurogane’s wolf form, bustled forward from behind the throne carrying a sheathed sword. “Take up this sword, the Blade of Light, and by doing so swear to uphold the hard won peace between our worlds for as long as you wield this weapon.”

The pair of young Twili brought him the Blade and set it down in front of him. By picking the Blade up Kurogane would be swearing his final oath. He would well and truly become the ambassador for the Light.

Well, if nothing else he was too far in to turn back now.

He reached forward with his paw, laid if on the scabbard of the Blade. There were a few moments where nothing happened, the room was still as death around him. Then he felt it, the pulse of light and power. It was warm like the afternoon sun, brilliant and blinding but never uncomfortable. It felt like warmth and life and it filled Kurogane, coursing through him.

The light pushed away his fur and fangs, shortened his snout and transformed paws into hands and feet. Returning to human form was painless. It was like slipping into a Goron hot spring after a long day training, soothing and welcome. 

Kurogane’s newly reformed fingers wrapped around the Blade’s scabbard and held it fast. He rose to his feet and on an impulse that felt like it had come from the Blade itself he drew it, held it high, shining and radiant, for all to see. 

Within seconds the Blade’s light dimmed to a gentle glow that still stood out clearly in the shadowy world of Twilight. 

Kurogane sheathed the Blade easily and faced Yuuko. “My name is Kurogane, a warrior of the Sheikah tribe and son of the matriarch. I grant you my services on behalf of Princess Sakura of Hyrule and the people of Light.”

\--

Fai had always thought the murals depicting the Hero as a Holy Beast were fearsome looking. Great claws and fangs slashing and tearing through the darkness that had attempted to swallow both worlds whole. The wolf was a proud and terrifying beast, a form that commanded respect and incited awe. Seeing this new beast walk into the throne room, head high and red eyes fierce, his opinion had changed.

Wolves were adorable. 

When the wolf became a man Fai felt his mouth go dry. Goddesses! he thought. The man before him was a sight. Tall and broad the man unfolded himself before the court and held the Blade of Light high. His arms, left bare by his uniform, were thick with muscle and the look in his eyes was deadly. When he spoke his oaths to the queen Fai could feel Kurogane’s deep voice. It sent shivers across his skin.

He was in trouble.

“As I’m sure you are aware you’ll be remaining here for several days in order to accustom yourself to the Twilight. Fai will be your guide until you feel comfortable here,” Yuuko said, Fai snapping out of his daze at the sound of his name and stepping forward.

Closer, Fai could see Kurogane’s well defined cheek bones, the enticing line of his neck and jaw, and the darling points of his long ears. He hoped that Kurogane couldn’t tell that Fai was essentially devouring him with his eyes as he bowed and smiled up at the tall man. Idly, he wondered if all people from the Light were so large.

“Follow me and we’ll head up to your chambers,” Fai said, already moving towards one of the platforms. Kurogane followed wordlessly, only a raise of his eyebrow an indication that he was curious as to where Fai was taking him.

Fai activated the platform with a lazy flick of his wrist and as it raised them up to the second level of the Palace he couldn’t help but laugh at the surprised face Kurogane made. When he glared over at Fai all he could do was shrug. “Ahh look, you can make a face other than that serious one!”

“What?”

“You looked so stern, even when you were a beast,” Fai said cheerily. “I was wondering if you could make any other expressions. The last ambassador at least smiled upon his arrival.”

That last comment earned Fai a look of surprise. “You were there when the last ambassador was chosen?”

“I was little, but yes I was there. Do I look so young?” Fai still remembered the day a lion had walked into the throne room. He’d been terrified of the huge beast and had hidden behind his mother’s cloak until the Blade had been presented. Clow Reed had served as ambassador for thirty years. He’d been a very kind man, wise and gentle and with a wicked sense of humor once you knew what to look for. Fai had liked him immensely.

Kurogane frowned. “I can’t honestly tell with Twili, but the ambassador had been chosen before I was born. I guess it seemed like a very far away time to me.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do a fine job, Kuro-wolf. The queen is already impressed with you,” Fai chirped. 

“My name is Kuro _gane_! And I’m not worried about the job. I’ve spent my whole life going between the Hyruleans and Sheikah, this won’t be much different.”

“Ahh! So confident!” Fai smiled, leading them down a hallway and up a flight of stairs. “I’m envious. When Her Majesty asked me to be your guide I spent days worrying about it.”

He didn’t mention how badly he’d wished that Clow had stayed and how heartbroken he’d been when the human had told Fai he was resigning. He didn’t tell Kurogane about how much Fai had thought about what type of person Kurogane could have been, that he’d almost obsessed over trying to guess the Sheikah’s personality, based on absolutely nothing.

Kurogane settled him with an odd sort of look after that, one that made Fai feel like he was an unfinished puzzle and that Kurogane was preparing to pick him apart and start from scratch. How much had he given away in a single comment? 

Still, he smiled blithely through it and ignored the strange twisting in his gut. There was something about this man, the longer he spent in Kurogane’s presence the more assured he felt about it.

The rest of their conversation was spent answering Kurogane’s questions -- locations of training fields, any social faux paus he should know of, food and drink, immediate expectations -- and a handful of Fai’s own. Before either of them knew it they were at Kurogane’s new quarters. 

“Here we are! You can take the rest of the evening to relax, I’ll come get you tomorrow and show you around the Palace and town,” Fai said, opening the door to the room. The place was fairly bare with only a wardrobe, bed and side tables in it. Slowly, the room would come to reflect Kurogane’s personality though, just like it had when Clow had lived there. Trinkets and books and pictures would slowly begin to fill up the space. “If you need anything my room is all the way down the hall and up one more flight of stairs. Goodnight!”

Fai left before Kurogane had the chance to even wish him a good night as well, though Fai doubted that was what he was opening his mouth to do.

This was not what he had expected when he’d accepted Yuuko’s request that he be the new ambassador’s guide. Fai had thought they’d get someone similar to Clow: kind, gentle, modest. Kurogane didn’t seem to be any of those things. He was loud and brash and unfairly enticing. Speaking with him had been enjoyable, even if he had been far too serious to let much of his personality show through. Fai was certain he’d unwind soon enough. At least he hoped so.

And wasn’t that just the kicker, Fai wanted to know what Kurogane was like unwound, wanted to see the Sheikah relax, wanted to know what he was like laughing and joking and at ease. 

Yuuko was waiting for him when Fai got to his chambers. She was lounging on one of his chairs, an opulently plush thing, very unlike what the Twili usually kept about. It had been a gift. “So?” she asked as Fai closed his door.

“A bit grumpy, isn’t he?” Fai said with a wry smile, displaying his sharp teeth.. “He’s not at all what I expected.”

Yuuko chuckled. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she asked, standing, her robes and hair falling elegantly around her. His whole life Fai had been amazed by the fact that she never looked anything but perfectly composed and regal. 

“Good, I suppose. I’ll be spending tomorrow with him, showing him the Palace and town,” Fai said, tapping his chin. “I hope he lightens up.”

“If anyone can get someone in a playful mood it’s you,” Yuuko said, reaching up and pinching Fai’s cheek. “But honestly, what do you think of him, Fai,” Yuuko asked, sobering up.

Fai hardly blinked at the sudden change in tone, he’d known Yuuko all his life, it was something you got used to. “He’s alright, I only had one conversation with him. Why do you ask?”

He wondered if Yuuko had a bad feeling about Kurogane, if there was some warning sign he had missed that she was picking up on. Surely, someone whose Holy Beast was a wolf was someone of great courage and morality. But, then again, Fai had ever only known one other Hyrulean in his lifetime. 

“Fai, do you know why I asked you to be his guide?”

There were a handful of things Fai could say to that. She was too lazy. She missed Clow. That he just didn’t know. She wound up answering before he did.

“Because the pair of you share a destiny,” she said. “What that destiny will be, or what it will mean to the pair of you, is for the two of you to discover.”

“Destiny?” Fai asked. “What do you mean destiny? We’ve only just met, you asked me to be his guide before we even knew who he was. How could you have known?”

The look Yuuko gave him was a patient one. “The Goddesses gave me a vision. Your fates are intertwined, what that means exactly is not for them or myself to decide, but it will be strong.”

It was not the first time the Goddesses had sent a vision to the Twili, and Fai knew it would not be the last. He had hoped that he’d never be the subject of one though. 

“Why did the goddesses send you a vision? Is something going to happen?” There was always a reason behind the visions that were sent to them. They were warnings, they were guidance. That Yuuko had received one of him and Kurogane… It unnerved Fai.

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” she said, taking his hands, soft and smooth, in hers, powerful like the talons of the hawks Fai had heard about. “Stay close to him, and trust your heart.”

Yuuko bid him goodnight and left. As the door slid closed Fai sighed and shook his head. “You couldn’t have been more vague if you’d tried, Mother.”

\--

Kurogane could only assume it was morning when there was a sharp rapping at his door. The sky outside of his window didn’t look any different and we wondered if there was a way to tell, if the Twilight ever got brighter or dimmer to indicate the passage of time. 

Running a hand through his bed mussed hair Kurogane opened the door and was unsurprised to find Fai standing in front of him, smiling. “Sleep well, Kuro-wolf?”

He couldn’t even say it was too damn early for this nonsense because he had no idea what time it even was. He grunted noncommittally and turned around, leaving Fai to either stand at the door or follow him into the room, which he of course, did follow after Kurogane. 

“So, I was thinking, I could show you around the palace after a meal, and then we could head into town and give you a feel for what our people are like,” Fai said. Kurogane could feel his eyes on his back as Kurogane pulled out one of the robes that had been given to him to wear.

Sakura had insisted on him dressing himself like one of the Twili during his first visit. She’d said something about it being a gesture of solidarity, a way to welcome the new culture into his life. He didn’t care much either way honestly. Clothing was clothing and so long as he could still move in it Kurogane didn’t care what he draped over his body.

The Twili didn’t always wear clothing, some simply went about as the Goddesses had created them. Others, usually those of high standing, draped themselves in varying amounts of flowing robes. Kurogane followed suit, twisting and wrapping a fold of cloth around his waist and over one shoulder. (Fai had to step in at one point to show him exactly how to tie the belt that kept it all from falling open.) 

Kurogane fastened the Blade to his belt and pulled on his wrist guards, both to feel less bare and because the Eye of Truth, the symbol of the Sheikah, was etched onto their leather. He might have bore the Tear of Truth upon his face, a small, red teardrop beneath his left eye, but to have the Eye on his person brought him great ease. He would have had the Eye of Truth in its entirety tattooed on him if he’d ever become a tribe leader, but that was never his goal.

He could feel Fai staring at his wrist guards, could feel a question burning in that golden gaze, but he wasn’t about to volunteer the information if the Twili wasn’t going to ask. 

“Ready to go?” Fai said once Kurogane had finished double checking the fastening of the Blade.

Kurogane considered pulling on his boots as well, but he’d yet to see a single Twili wear shoes. “Yeah.”

Their meal was a simple thing made of broth and vegetables and bread. While they ate Fai prattled on about what he was going to show Kurogane in the palace, about which council members lived in the palace and which prefered to remain in their homes. He joked about them, stage-whispering to Kurogane about which of the council members had terrible attitudes. 

It reminded him of when Sakura was younger, back when her parents were still alive and she would sit in on the less formal calls from nobels. She would always come back to Tomoyo and Kurogane with stories about the lords and ladies, how some of them complained about such trivial things and how some of them were so kind to come on behalf of their people. Kurogane supposed some things were the same everywhere. 

The tour of the palace wasn’t as boring as he’d thought it would be. Many of the carved symbols along the walls were protective charms and blessings left by generations past, not merely decoration like Kurogane had assumed. The tapestries Kurogane had seen when he’d first arrived were historic accounts, held in the same esteem as any of the history books found in the palace’s massive library. Even the vases that were dotted about the halls were pieces of history, spelled to never fall from their pedestals. 

“Your people place a great deal of worth in the past,” Kurogane observed as Fai led him up a spiral staircase in one of the higher towers.

In front of him Fai nodded. “How else are we going to learn? The past is full of mistakes and failures, it tells us what has not worked and what to avoid doing. It only makes sense to keep such things in mind.”

Hyrule also cared a great deal about its own history, but not to the extent of the Twili. Though, if the legends he’d read were true, the Twili had a history of making dangerous mistakes. Perhaps keeping those in mind was a wise decision on their part. 

They climbed higher in silence for a while more until Kurogane’s curiosity got the better of him. “Where, exactly, are you taking me?”

Fai’s steps didn’t stop but he did cast a look over his shoulder at Kurogane. Smiling he pointed up at a landing. “Right there. I want to show you something.”

Kurogane asked what it was Fai wanted to show him a few times, but the Twili kept his secret all the way to the landing. 

“This is your first time to the Twilight,” Fai said, blocking the door with his body and looking up at Kurogane. “I don’t know what they say about our world in the Light, but the Queen has told me before that people sometimes fear us, think our world unpleasant and dark. I don’t want you to think that way as well.”

Before Kurogane had the chance to tell Fai that he didn’t, that the Twilight was different, yes, but not any less captivating than the wonders of his own world, Fai grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door on to a balcony. The sight in front of him was nothing short of breathtaking.

They were high, well above the main rooms and halls of the palace. From here Kurogane could see the entire town below them, walkways spiraling out from the palace’s courtyards. Bridges connected the larger mass of land that the palace stood upon to the small islands where homes and businesses were, twinkling in the haze of the world like stars. Beyond those the sky burned golden, bright and warm against the dark greys and black of the clouds in the distance. 

It was nothing like home, but as the wind blew through his hair and whirled the haze about he felt a sort of comfort in him that before had only come from returning to the mountains where his people had been born and forged for generations. It should have startled Kurogane, to realize he felt at peace in this strange world, but the surprise never came.

He glanced over at Fai who, unlike Kurogane, wasn’t watching the horizon, but was watching Kurogane and his reactions. He must have liked what he saw because Fai smiled and leaned against the railing of the balcony, his wispy, golden hair blowing carelessly in the breeze. “What do you think?”

Beautiful was the first word to come to Kurogane’s mind, and it wasn’t in regards to the skyline he’d been shown either. He quickly shook his head and looked back out over the balcony (where it was safe). “It’s like nothing back home,” he said and if he sounded a bit wistful Fai had the good grace to not bring it up.

“Is that good or bad?” Fai asked and Kurogane could hear the hesitation in his voice.

Kurogane looked over at him again. “Good. It’s good.”

Over the course of the next few days Kurogane and Fai were seen a lot with each other. Even after Kurogane was able to navigate the palace halls and town streets on his own, Fai was by his side. 

They went to the courts together, Kurogane merely as a spectator, taking notes and learning the ways the Twili’s laws worked and making his best attempts and learning their language, and Fai at Yuuko’s side as the Prince of the Twilight. 

He learned to tell the different times of day with Fai’s help. There was no change in the soft, golden glow of the sky or thickness of the clouds. The trick was between the smell on the wind and the particles of shadow that twirled upwards in the air outside. The air was crisp and had a brisk chill to it in what would be considered morning. The shadow particles spun their fastest early in the morning and slowed as the day progressed. In the evening the air was heavy, weighted down with a calm stillness as the shadows spun slow and lazy through the air. 

The Twilight was a strange place, but one that Kurogane found fascinating and more captivating the longer he spent there. 

The Twili themselves were an intriguing people as well. Yuuko, Fai, and a small handful of other nobles who lived in the palace looked almost human, the only differences were subtle aside from the wild patterns that wound their way across the skin. Blacks and blues and greys swirled over arms and faces, each pattern unique. The Twili who lived in the town, and a good deal who stayed in the palace and attended court, were widely varied in their shapes -- wide and round and tall, forms that no person in the Light had ever taken, fluid almost -- and sizes -- proper adults wide and stout, smaller than a child, some taller than Kurogane could ever hope to be and thicker than a Goron. 

There was a language known only to the Twili, a whimsical string of words that Kurogane was helpless to understand yet, but both Yuuko and Fai had assured him that he’d be able to learn with practice.

The time for Kurogane to return to the Light was drawing near. There he would discuss with Sakura the details of his future excursions and be given a clearer idea of his duties. He hoped to also have time to speak with his parents about their plans for his involvement in the tribe. It had been many years since a Sheikah had been chosen to enter the Twilight and Kurogane had duties outside of his services to Sakura and Hyrule. The Sheikah were his blood, and as his parents’ son there were expectations of him. 

That was all a full day off, still. Yuuko had dismissed him for the time being, all but shooing him off to prepare for his trip home. “Relax,” she had said, sipping from a goblet and lounging as she was usually seen doing. “There will be plenty more time later for you to acquaint yourself with us.”

However, Kurogane was not a man to simply lay back and relax, let the day pass him by and whittle away the hours doing nothing. It took less than two hours for him to seek Fai’s advice on how to pass the time.

There had been little discussion on leisure activities between the pair of them, Kurogane too focused on his new responsibilities to even give Fai the time to suggest such things. When he asked the prince what there was to do to have fun in the Twilight it seemed as though Fai had been waiting eagerly for such a question.

“What in the name of the Goddesses is _that_?” Kurogane said, taking a step back from the winged beast Fai had shown him.

There was a pair of them, grotesque and gigantic. They bore some similarities to kargarok, nasty birds as large as an adult that scavenged the lands for rotting meat, but were much larger than any Kurogane had seen. There was no beak, or even face really, to be seen. Instead there was a flat face covered in glowing red circles and lines reminiscent of the shapes that appeared when Sakura had activated the Mirror and the tattoos many of the Twili had on their person. The face was ringed by thick feathers splaying outwards, giving the impression of a trumpet, which was only further cemented in Kurogane’s mind when the beast let forth a terrible honk like a trumpet being blown full force, heedless of any tune. 

In the face of Kurogane’s horror Fai only smiled. “Well, mine is named Chii,” he said, reaching up to pet the beast closest to him. It honked in what Kurogane guessed must have been appreciation. “Yours is named Freya.”

Kurogane glared at him, but took the reins when they were handed to him. “You know damn well that’s not what I was asking.”

Fai laughed merrily. “They’re Carriers, Kuro-min. Very well trained ones, too.” A wicked grin cut itself across Fai’s face, yellow eyes and sharp teeth glinting dangerously at Kurogane. “And we’re going to race them.”

Once he’d saddled the winged monster, its hide he found out was like scaled leather, rough to the touch and thick, and gotten himself situated on its back Fai trotted his up to the edge of the island and waited for Kurogane to join him. Steering the Carrier was similar enough to guiding a horse and he pulled up alongside Fai with little difficulty. 

“Follow my lead, and don’t worry, the Carrier will do most of the work for you,” Fai said. He snapped the reins of his Carrier and it spread its wings and pushed itself into the air. 

Kurogane followed suit, snapping his reins for the Carrier to lift off. Its take to flight was unsteady and he quickly came to the conclusion, maneuvering his Carrier this way and that as he got a feel for how they moved, they were not graceful things. They took wide turns and the wide, leathery wings were slow to change angles. After a few minutes, though, a couple of laps around Fai and his own Carrier, Kurogane felt like he had a good enough grasp of the twilit bird. 

“Where are we racing to?” Kurogane asked, doing his best to keep the Carrier steady in the air.

Without a word Fai lifted his hand. A spark ignited in his palm and quickly grew in size. It looked as if fire had somehow taken the shape of lightning in Fai’s palm, the wild ball danced in the air blazing orange and yellow. Every few seconds a bolt would shoot away from the ball Fai held and dance around his wrist before vanishing into the air. 

The ball floated into the air and swayed between the two of them. “Follow the birdy!” Fai called as the ball of magic darted away from them.

In all honesty Kurogane had ridden horses much faster than his blasted Carrier could fly, swift and agile on the ground, hoofs beating against stone and dirt, but there was something exciting about literally soaring through the air, wind whipping his hair into a wild mess as he and Fai laughed, unabashed and free. 

Kurogane hadn’t felt such unbridled joy in a long time. He was by no means a miserable man, but he always kept himself busy, always something to do, someone to see. Here, with Fai, in the open air of the Twilight, there was none of that and Kurogane realized how much weight he piled on himself. Laughter burst from his chest easily as he flew his Carrier clumsily through the air. It was nice.

Ahead of them the ball of Fai’s magic alighted and burst brilliantly into light, marking clearly where the finish line was. Goal set, Kurogane dug his heels into the Carrier’s sides, spurring the creature on with a great honk. He managed to pull ahead of Fai, only to realize that he didn’t know how to land the damn bird. 

He pulled up on the reins, hoping to pull out of his dive enough to allow the Carrier to land itself naturally enough, but the thing was as helplessly clumsy as Kurogane had thought and the both of them tumbled gracelessly into the ground, Kurogane cursing loudly and Freya honking indignantly. 

Above him he heard Fai howling with laughter as he landed easily enough and dismounted, not even needing to straighten out his robes. As he reached out a hand to help pull Kurogane to his feet he commented “Not the worst landing I’ve ever seen, Kuro-tumble.”

“Oh shut up,” Kurogane snapped, allowing himself to be pulled up.

He stumbled once he got to his feet, ending up much more in Fai’s personal space than he intended. They were practically nose to nose, breathing the same air, but neither of them made a move to step back. Instead they stood there, chests only a breath’s width apart, Fai staring up at Kurogane like it was the first time he was really seeing the Sheikah and Kurogane entranced by the many shades of yellow and gold in Fai’s irises. 

It was only when their Carriers let out echoing honks that the pair of them separated, averting their eyes and stumbling over excuses and apologies alike. Heat rose on Kurogane’s cheeks when he realized that he’d been leaning in closer to Fai. His heart skipped unsteadily in his chest when he realized Fai would have let Kurogane kiss him.

“So,” Kurogane began, clearing his throat and willing his blush away. “Is there any reason we’re all the way out here or…?”

\--

For someone who had been so adamant about not “sitting around doing nothing” Kurogane certainly was quick to join Fai at the edge of the island and look out over the horizon of endless Twilight. 

They had both been quick to put the near kiss behind them. Fai ignored the pain of sadness and regret at not having actually kissed Kurogane. Over the last few days Fai had certainly gone from thinking Kurogane was a beautiful man to knowing he was not only handsome but also kind and brave. Being around him was easy. It felt like when he was young and would slip into the shadows of nooks and crannies throughout the palace as he hid from his caretakers. 

Clow and Kurogane were completely different, and at first Fai was worried that would be a bad thing. He had been concerned that he wouldn’t be able to stand Kurogane, all serious and grouchy, those first few days, Yuuko’s vision of their shared destiny more of a burden than a comfort. Fai was glad to be proven wrong. Kurogane had a quick, almost childish, temper, but the chasing after Fai was playful, the threats hurled at him were empty. It was all a game, just for them.

“I’m going to miss you when you go back,” Fai said, never taking his eyes off of the horizon. 

Kurogane made a dismissive sound. “I’ll only be gone for a few days, idiot.” A few beats of silence, marked only by a sigh, passed between them.

“What does a sunrise look like?”

“What?” Kurogane looked over at Fai, who had finally turned to face him.

“I’ve never seen one,” Fai said, idly fiddling with the hem of his robe. “I had never gotten the courage to ask Clow to describe it to me.”

For a second he thought Kurogane might refuse, call him a name and stand and leave, but when Kurogane opened his mouth it was none of that. He told Fai about sunrises. He explained how everything was grey-washed, hazy and slow in the cold months of winter. Spring had bright sunrises, pink and delicate yellow, the light filtered through budding leaves and it felt like the air itself was waking up. Summer was a sudden burst of light, vivid and impossible to ignore. Kurogane said he felt like it should have been accompanied by singing. Autumn sunrises were lazy things, bright with summer’s fading glow, but slow like the coming winter. 

Fai ached to see it for himself. He’d dreamed of the world of Light, yearned to catch even a glimpse of it. He loved his home, loved the Twilight and it’s peaceful beauty, but the enticing call of something new, something different -- it was like he could feel his very soul being pulled towards it. 

Emboldened, Fai asked Kurogane to tell him more. Kurogane obliged, answering all of Fai’s questions. He described snow and rain, told Fai about the Zora and their lakes and rivers, about the Gorons and their mountains and tunnels. 

Eventually, Kurogane was no longer describing things so much as he was telling Fai stories involving them. Trips into the Ordon Province and its forests where Kurogane climbed high into the canopies for fun and challenge, young, clumsy feet snapping twigs and leaves off to fall on to the heads of his tribe members below. Learning how to swim in the cool waters of Lake Hylia during sweltering summers and having diving competitions with the Zora children who came to play. 

For what could have been hours for all he knew Fai soaked in the images and stories of Kurogane’s life and world. The Light had always been a mystery to Fai, who had nothing but the vague recollections of legends past to give him answers. Hearing these tales did nothing to assuage his desire to see the Light, if anything it only made it more intense. 

They had moved from sitting on the edge of island to laying on their backs and staring up at the sky. In less than a day Kurogane would walk through the Mirror of Twilight and back to the land of Light where he belonged and where Fai so desperately wished to go. He’d come back, of course, but he would walk through the Mirror and Fai would not.

Unless…

“Take me with you,” Fai said abruptly, sitting up and twisting to look at Kurogane.

“Where?” Kurogane asked, completely lost.

“To the realm of Light!” Fai said, excitement bubbling up in his chest as he thought about it. “When you go back, take me with you!”

“You can’t survive in the Light,” Kurogane said slowly, like Fai didn’t already know that.

Fai leaned closer. “No, but I can survive in shadows! I know the spells, I could follow you in your shadow and see your world.”

Kurogane sat up and looked at Fai. “You’re the prince, I’m not about to kidnap you into the Light. How would it look if I got the future king hurt? Or killed?”

Nevermind that Fai was capable of defending himself, Kurogane was surely doubly able to keep them both safe. He smiled and rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you’d be able to keep your own shadow out of trouble, Kuro-wolf. And besides, I’m probably not even the next monarch.”

The Twili had always chosen their leaders based on heart and leadership. Noble blood was no indicator of noble heart. The Usurper King had proven that quite well back in the Hero’s Age. Kurogane knew this, but he supposed growing up with blood ties determining who was next for the throne it was easy to forget.

“Please, Kuro-rin? I showed you my world, I want you to show me yours.”

It was easy to convince Yuuko that Fai was too petulant to bid Kurogane farewell at the Mirror’s portal. It was just as easy for Kurogane to “insist” on at least having a private goodbye and storm up to Fai’s room. After that it was damn near effortless.

“What are you gonna do about later? When Yuuko’s looking for you?” Kurogane asked, arms folded across his chest. He was wearing his Sheikah garb again and Fai missed the sight of him draped in the flatteringly revealing fabrics of the Twili. “She’s gonna notice you’re gone.”

Fai grinned, sharp and mischievous. He raised his hand, palm out, and a burst of electric magic sprung from him. It crackled in the air, formless, for a minute until a shape could be seen. Slowly it twisted and solidified itself into a mirror image of Fai. Still smiling he looked at Kurogane. “I call him Yuui.”

Yuui was Fai’s favorite trick. He’d used the double several times to sit in on meetings and lessons that Fai hadn’t felt particularly inclined to attend. Yuui was capable to acting and speaking just like Fai would be able to, and when Fai dismissed the spell the copy’s memories would become his.

Leaning against the wall, Kurogane looked dubious. “Is that going to work?”

“He’s worked every other time I used him, I don’t see why he won’t work now,” Fai said with a shrug. 

Arms still folded and frown at full force, Kurogane pushed off of the wall and circled Yuui a few times. Yuui tracked his movements with his eyes, smiling sweetly, though as the seconds ticked by it became more amused. Yuui was slowly awakening, acting less like the empty shell he was and more like Fai. 

“If you don’t hurry, we’re going to be late,” Fai said, resting a hand on his hip.

“Are you sure it’s wise to name it?” Kurogane said. 

“Of course,” Fai said. Yuui had been Yuui since Fai had first succeeded in creating him. “Are you going to be staring at him for much longer? We’re going to be late.”

He didn’t want Yuuko to have anything to be suspicious of. At a glance she wouldn’t see Fai within Kurogane’s shadow, but if she had reason to look he’d be found out for sure. Kurogane left Yuui alone and waited. It was an almost natural thing to slide into Kurogane’s shadow, allow himself to be swallowed up and covered, hidden away from those who didn’t know what could lurk in shadows. 

From the shadow Fai could see everything just fine. He didn’t need to keep up with Kurogane, where he went his shadow followed and, by extension, so did Fai. 

Yuuko was waiting for Kurogane by the portal and as they drew nearer Fai felt his heartbeat race. He didn’t know what the punishment for being found out would be and he was surprised that Kurogane hadn’t asked that along with his myriad of other questions. 

Fai watched, silent and still, pulling himself as far into Kurogane’s shadow as he could, as Kurogane and Yuuko bid each other farewell. With a wave of her hand Yuuko activated the portal and Kurogane stepped forward.

“See you soon,” she said as the world around them dissolved.

The sensation of being pulled apart into little pieces was not as horrifically painful as it sounded to Fai, though his skin crawled for several seconds afterwards. It all fell away from him, though, when he opened it eyes to see an impossibly blue sky, bright and blinding. He could feel the warmth of the world around him, even through the coolness of Kurogane’s shadow. He wanted to rise out of it and bask in the warm light, but Kurogane was already making his way away from the Mirror Chamber and inside.

Fai was much too absorbed in taking in the beautiful art and decoration of the halls and rooms Kurogane passed through to really pay attention to what he and the other people were talking about. He didn’t care where they went, just that he was finally here, in the world of Light.

“We’ll send word ahead to the princess,” one of the men Kurogane was speaking with said as another lead a four legged beast of some sort towards them.

It was a fine looking creature, strong looking and sleek. It was packed with supplies and from the way it bumped its massive head against Kurogane it was awfully fond of him. He smiled and pet the creature, allowing the beast to nuzzle him as it wished and only halting its affection when he needed to speak with one of the others. 

It would apparently take them just short of a day to cross the desert if Kurogane kept his pace brisk and took minimal breaks. “We’ll be fine. There’s plenty of water to last us to the oasis, right?”

“Yes, it should be more than enough,” a middle aged woman replied. “Souhi’s been restless with you gone. She’ll be glad to have her rider back.”

Kurogane huffed out what might have been a laugh and patted his beast’s flank heartily. “She’s the most spoiled horse in all Hyrule, that’s for sure.”

There was a bit more banter and then they were off, flying across scorching sands and through whipping winds, just Kurogane, Souhi, and Fai.

He took this chance to project a silhouette of himself to fly alongside Kurogane. “Get back down!” Kurogane snapped. “There could be patrols out!”

“Tell me where we’re going first,” Fai said, not even facing Kurogane.

“Hyrule Castle, I’ve an appointment with the princess.”

“How exciting!” Fai said, allowing his projection to dissipate. 

For the rest of the trip Fai took in the scenery of endless sand and burning skies. He watched nasty looking little monsters tear through the sand and he watched Kurogane, never once breaking pace, dispatch them with the Blade, cutting through beast and air with equal ease.

The oasis they stopped at was lovely, though they didn’t stay long. Fai was torn between wanting to stay longer too look around and being ready to continue further into Hyrule to see more.

For his part, Kurogane did wander about, speaking quietly to Fai under his breath about the types of plants they were seeing and about the creatures, moldorms, he had slain out in the desert. 

They rode through the night, the world darker than the Twilight ever got and colder than Fai would have guessed possible after feeling the way the sun beat against the sand. By dawn sand gave way to stone, which in turn gave way to fields of grass by noon.

The town Kurogane had brought them to was crowded and bustling. Fai had never seen so many people at once before. Vendors called out their wares, children darted between the legs of adults who shopped and ran errands. Castle Town was full of life more vibrant than anything Fai would have been able to dream up. It took every ounce of self control not to extend himself from Kurogane shadow and allow his silhouette to browse the carts and stalls.

Upon reaching Hyrule Castle itself Kurogane left Souhi with a stable hand and made his way confidently through the castle halls. Fai remembered that Kurogane had grown up here. He was in his element now, comfortable and more at ease than Fai felt he would ever be in the Twilight. 

The throne room Kurogane brought them to was grand, all high ceilings and stained glass windows. It was twice as wide as the one back home and nearly twice as long. There was a small group of people surrounding a table beside the throne. Hearing Kurogane’s approaching footsteps they looked up and nearly all of them smiled. 

“Welcome back!” greeted a cute looking girl with hair almost as dark as Kurogane’s. She wore the same eye-like symbol Kurogane did and Fai could see Kurogane’s face relax into a fond smile at seeing her.

Another girl, bright eyes and regal stepped forward to greet Kurogane, leaving behind her a pair of boys, one with brown eyes and hair smiling and another with dark hair and blue eyes looking a little sour. “So, how was it? You’ve got to tell us everything!”

“Do you want my formal report or gossip?” Fai could hear the amusement in Kurogane’s voice as he followed the girl, who Fai assumed was the princess if her tiara and folds of delicate fabric were anything to go by.

“We can worry about formalities later,” the brown-haired boy said.

“They’ve all got bets on what your Holy Beast form was,” the dark-haired boy said. He didn’t sound as glum as he looked and the longer the conversation dragged on the smaller his frown got.

Kurogane shook his head and eyed the group. They all waited, looking at him in anticipation, the princess even bouncing where she stood. “Alright, it was a wolf,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

They all gasped and the lot of them devolved into half frenzied chatter, Kurogane included. Fai watched happily from the shadows as the five friends caught up. He did his best to keep up with the conversation and remember at least the names of Kurogane’s friends.

The dark-haired boy was named Watanuki, he and the brown-haired boy, Syaoran, were Clow’s children. Watanuki had been training to become a master magician and had succeeded in Kurogane’s absence. Syaoran was a knight and engaged to Princess Sakura, who as far as Fai could tell was an impeccably lovely young woman and he wished he could get to know her. The dark-haired girl was a relative of Kurogane's and seemed like she’d be great fun to spend time with. 

Talking and laughing with them Kurogane was almost a different person. Fai had, of course, seen Kurogane laugh before, they had joked together, shared with each other in the handful of days they’d been together in the Twilight, but this was different. This was Kurogane at his most comfortable and open.

It was a beautiful thing to see. 

Hours passed, between conversation and business, before Kurogane was alone in his room. It was a sparsely decorated place. A small stack of books sat on a side table, a handful of letters beside it. The sheets and curtains were plain and if there were any trinkets or decorations Fai couldn’t tell what they were. 

Door securely locked Kurogane began to undo his buckles and belts. “It should be okay for you to show up now,” he said, drawing the curtains.

Fai projected out of the shadow only to earn himself a startled yelp from Kurogane. “What? What is it?” Fai turned around, looking for someone or something that would have caused such a reaction from Kurogane.

“It’s your eyes!” Kurogane said, stepping close to Fai’s silhouette. “They’re blue.”

“That’s impossible, my eyes are yellow.” But even as he said that he looked into the mirror hanging on Kurogane’s wall to see that his eyes were no longer the golden yellow they had been his whole life. A pair of blue, almost human looking, eyes were peering out from his silhouette, wide and confused. 

Slowly, Fai reached a hand up to his cheek. There was something wrong, he just didn’t know what.

“Maybe it’s a side effect of being in the Light?” Kurogane offered. Fai seriously doubted that, but he made a soft noise of agreement and tried to put it out of his mind. It wasn’t hurting him yet, so he’d do his best not to trouble himself over it. 

Fai turned to face Kurogane, still standing close (too close and not close enough). “Thank you,” he said, moving even closer. “For bringing me here. I love it. Your world is amazing.”

He could see Kurogane swallow. His mouth opened and closed a few times before words made their way out. “Just try not to give yourself away.”

“I’ll do my best,” Fai said with a grin. He pushed away from Kurogane, letting himself float idly in the air as Kurogane undressed and readied for bed. 

There was nothing subtle about the way Fai watched from the corner, eyes intent on the way the muscles of Kurogane’s back flexed and how his fingers nimbly danced across the ties and clips of his tunic. His skin was brown, free of patterns and marks aside from the scattered scars that discolored his skin in jagged lines. 

Yuuko had said she’d seen something between them and not for the first time Fai wondered if this hunger he felt was part of it. 

“Can I touch you?”

“What!?” Fai sputtered, caught completely off guard. For a second he worried that he had been saying all of that outloud.

At least Kurogane was also flustered by how his questions had come out. “I mean is it possible, or will my hand go through you?” he elaborated.

“Don’t know,” Fai said, extending a hand towards Kurogane. “Let’s find out.”

Red eyes went to Fai’s face and down to his hand and back again. Hesitantly, Kurogane reached out his own hand and placed it atop Fai’s. To Fai, it felt just the same as grabbing Kurogane’s hand had in the Twilight, his rough skin warm against Fai’s palm. The lackluster response Kurogane gave made Fai assume it was the same on his end. 

Impulsively, Fai used his hold on Kurogane to yank him closer, forcing the two of them chest to chest, their faces even as Fai hovered a few inches off the ground. Fai felt his grin sharpen and a predatory something awaken in him when he looked into Kurogane’s eyes to see, beyond the surprise at Fai’s sudden manhandling, the same hunger Fai had been feeling. 

Kurogane’s tongue flicked over dry lips and that was all it took to break the last few strands of Fai’s self control. He seized a fistful of Kurogane’s hair and crushed their mouths together in an inelegant kiss. In turn, Kurogane wrapped an arm around Fai’s waist and held him fast.

Everywhere Kurogane touched him was hot, a delicious, quiet burn against his not-quite-there skin. With a push, he and Kurogane were both tripping over themselves and falling into Kurogane’s bed, Kurogane on his back, and Fai above him. They paused for breath, panting into each other’s mouths, legs tangled together and hands grasping.

“We can’t do this properly,” Fai said, his breath slowly steadying. “Not while I’m like this.”

“That’s fine,” Kurogane said, nuzzling into Fai’s neck, lips curiously pressing tiny kisses to illusory skin. “There’s always later, when we go back.”

“Mm, you don’t seem terribly disappointed,” Fai commented. He bared his throat for Kurogane’s mouth, enjoying the soft touch of his lips, now joined by teeth just barely grazing against the shadow of Fai’s skin.

Kurogane paused. “It gives me time to think,” he said. “It’s not a usual thing for me to feel this way.”

Fai looked down at him. There was no joke in what Kurogane had said to him, and if Fai had to hazard a guess he’d go so far as to say he’d just heard a seldom spoken truth about the man under him. He didn’t know what to say to that so he kissed Kurogane again. “Get some sleep. I want to see the town tomorrow.”

He faded back into Kurogane’s shadow and closed his eyes. He could wait a few days. 

\--

Kurogane never got the chance to show Fai around Castle Town. He was abruptly awoken by his father’s voice and fist hammering on the door. Kurogane barely had the presence of mind to grab the Blade before opening the door, well on his way to being awake and ready to do battle. 

“Get dressed, armour up, and meet us in the princess’ chambers,” his father said before heading off. 

For a moment Kurogane was worried he and Fai had been found out, but as he closed his door behind him he knew that wasn’t it. There would have been no need to don armour for such a thing. Fai appeared in the air beside him as Kurogane pulled on chainmail and thick leather. He watched Kurogane dress silently.

“What do you think happened?” Fai asked while Kurogane pulled on his boots. 

“No idea, just make sure you keep quiet. I don’t think they’ve figured us out, but let’s not push our luck.” Wordlessly, Fai fell back into his shadow and Kurogane opened his door and quickly made his way to Sakura’s room. 

He was the last to arrive. Already his father, Tomoyo, and Watanuki were assembled. Syaoran stood next to where Sakura sat, both of them clearly distraught. Kurogane could see a few pages of parchment balled up in Syaoran’s clenched fist. The air was heavy when he cleared his throat.

“Oh, Kurogane,” Sakura greeted him, looking up. It said something about the mood that she didn’t even try to smile for him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“What’s happened? Is everyone alright?” Kurogane addressed the room at large. 

Sakura shook her head, hand coming up to her mouth as Syaoran handed Kurogane the parchment he’d been holding. “That arrived this morning, along with these,” Watanuki said, nodding to the letter Kurogane was now reading and holding out a pair of round glasses, cracked and bent. They looked familiar to Kurogane some how. “They’re our father’s.”

The letter, written in scrawling script, long windedly explained it all. A nameless, faceless person had been training under Clow while the magician had been researching deep in the mountains. According to the writer Clow was an old fool who was wasting his power. They’d turned on Clow, wounding him badly and leaving his body in the mountains and stealing his research. The glasses had been sent along with the letter as way of proof and intimidation. 

“Is he really dead?” Kurogane asked. He had never had the chance to get to know Clow very well, between the man’s family and duties Clow had had next to no time to idly chat with others. He did know of Clow’s power though. There were very few magicians who could match him. 

“I’ve sent word to Kakariko Village and your mother, as well as the Gorons. Hopefully, what they find won’t be a corpse,” his father said somberly.

“It says here that they plan on making use of Clow’s work. What was he studying?” Kurogane asked. If they knew that much it would at least give them a place to start. 

“Last we spoke of his research he’d mentioned something about trying to find out the nature of the Twilight. I think he was trying to help the queen discover another way to travel between the two realms,” Watanuki supplied. “I don’t know what he’d be able to do with that sort of information.”

Kurogane swore he could feel Fai shaking him through his shadow. He knew, or had an idea, of what this person would be able to do with Clow’s research and Kurogane tried to piece it all together. 

Finally, it clicked.

“The Mirror!” Kurogane said. “If Clow’s got information on transporting between the realms whoever stole his research will probably start there.”

“They’ve got quite a head start,” Tomoyo said. And then she smiled, sweet as could be to anyone who couldn’t see the razor’s edge in it. “I don’t suppose our resident master magician’s got a trick up his sleeve?”

As it turned out, Watanuki had just the thing. A transportation spell, a connection that had been set up for use in times of emergency. Kurogane’s father stayed behind to guard Sakura while Watanuki took Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Kurogane with him to the Sun Temple. 

Upon arrival it seemed like nothing was out of place. Kurogane wasn’t about to take that as a good sign, though, and lead them up towards the Mirror Chamber as quickly as their feet would carry them.

Just a floor away from the Chamber Kurogane was halted by the Sun Sage. “Ambassador Kurogane, back so soon?”

“There’s no time to explain, the Mirror of Twilight might be in danger,” Kurogane interrupted. “Is there anyone up there right now?”

Startled the sage shook his head. “Just young Kimihiro, Ambassador Reed’s son.”

Kurogane felt himself being shoved aside by an outraged Watanuki. “That’s impossible, _I’m_ Kimihiro!”

Color drained from the sage’s face as they all pushed passed him. Kurogane heard him say something about the intruder having Clow’s crest -- this bastard had planned well -- before the sage began calling the other monks for back up. It wouldn’t be long now for the entire temple to be on alert. 

There was, indeed, only a single person in the Mirror Chamber. A bespectacled man stood in front of the dormant Mirror. He held an old book, heavy looking and tattered, in one hand while he traced the curve of the Mirror with the other. When they crested the stairs the bastard didn’t even look surprised. 

He just smiled at them and took a step back from the Mirror. “Well, you all got here much quicker than I expected. Bravo.”

“Get the hell away from the Mirror,” Kurogane commanded, unsheathing the Blade.

“In the name of the princess, you’ve been charged with treason,” Syaoran said, stepping up beside Kurogane, his own sword drawn and ready. “Surrender, you’re outnumbered.”

“Ahh,” said the man and the slickness of his voice made Kurogane want to jam his fist down the man’s throat. “Outnumbered, but not out matched. Especially since I have this.”

The man raised the hand not holding the book to reveal a small shard of the Mirror hovering above his palm.

With no further warning a bolt of magic shot at them, scattering all four Hyruleans. 

Kurogane dodged, leaping out of harm’s way. He took advantage of being one of the scattered targets and made his way around the Mirror’s dais, hoping the man had chosen to keep his eyes on someone else, opening himself up for a sneak attack by Kurogane.

There was no such luck. As he rounded the dais the man sent another bolt at him, throwing up dust and rubble in its wake, temporarily blinding him. Suddenly, a hand grabbed him and pulled him to the ground just as he felt another bolt fly over him, one that surely would have seriously injured him, if not killed him. 

“That shard is giving him power, take it from him!” Fai said from his shadow.

“GET THE SHARD AWAY FROM HIM!!” Kurogane bellowed across the Chamber as he charged, darting between another bolt sent flying his way.

From behind a column Tomoyo attacked, darting around the chunks of rubble now littering the Chamber and sending several kunai at the man’s back. Unfortunately, he had some sort of shield up, dark magic knocking Tomoyo’s kunai to the ground, useless. Watanuki followed behind her, sending out a flurry of spells at the man while Kurogane was forced back by a blast of cutting magic. 

He could feel blood oozing down the side of his face when he and Syaoran charged, battle cries on their lips. From the other side of the dais Kurogane could see Tomoyo waiting for her chance. He and Syaoran would do their best to distract the man, hopefully presenting Tomoyo or Watanuki with an opportunity to make a grab for the Mirror shard.

Of course, their luck was rotten and this man was ready. Their only warning was a string of words so old Kurogane had never heard them and was helpless to even begin to place their origin. The blast of magic he summoned pushed them all back, made their limbs heavy and weak. 

As they struggled to stand once more the man laughed. “Are these the warriors the princesses sends to protect the precious Mirror of Twilight? Is Hyrule home to nothing more than weak cowards? You’re all as pathetic as the old man, soft, unwilling to use your power for yourselves.” He held the shard high and faced the Mirror once more. “If this is the power one, tiny shard will give me, imagine what I could do with more!

“I, Kyle Rondart, shall bring both the Twilight and the Light to their knees with this!” he boasted. Magic crackled to life around the shard as the man -- Kyle -- began speaking in that ancient tongue.

“Not while I breathe you won’t!” Fai roared, springing from Kurogane’s shadow and knocking Kyle off of the dais and breaking whatever spell he’d woven into the air. 

Scrambling to his feet Kurogane could hear the crackle of magic, could feel the power of it prickle through the air making the hair on his neck stand on end. He could hear Tomoyo and Syaoran’s exclamations to the side of him about what they had just seen. Kurogane didn’t care. He and Fai could explain themselves later, right now he needed to make sure the prince was around to explain with him.

“Fai!” he called, bounding over the dais, sword ready. He thought there might have been a chance that Fai would best Kyle, but when he heard an earsplitting shriek and felt his blood turn to ice he knew.

There Fai was, crumbled on the ground. The markings on his skin had been swapped, the contrast of color making him look ghost-like. Pitch black meshed with skin that was white, no longer the normal blue-grey of the Twili. Unnatural, blue eyes were wide in shock and pain as he gasped for air. It was a knife in his gut. Fai was dying, pulled from the safety of Kurogane’s shadow and thrust into the poisonous Light. 

Something in Kurogane frayed, threatened to snap altogether. His blood boiled with rage and fear and he struck, felt the Blade slice through fabric and skin, saw blood stain the Blade’s glowing edge. Kurogane heard Kyle curse and in the next second he was gone, whisked away by his crackling magic and out of the reach of Kurogane’s sword. Out of reach of all of them.

Not even taking the time to curse himself, Kurogane was at Fai’s side in an instant, the other three of his companions joined him moments later.

He pulled Fai towards him, placed Fai’s head gently in his lap and ran worried hands through hair that was now black. To the touch Fai was hot and cold, the white of his skin burned with terrible fever while the black was cold as ice. His eyes had slid closed at this point, his breathing labored.

“Fai,” Kurogane called, shaking the Twili gently. “Fai open your eyes, say something.”

“Kurogane what is going on?” Tomoyo asked, kneeling beside him. “Is that a Twili?” She ran a hand along the curve of Fai’s cheek, pursed her lips at the contrast of temperature. “Watanuki, we need to get back to the castle now.”

Kurogane didn’t know if Tomoyo had a plan to help Fai or if she was concerned with alerting Sakura to what had just happened, but with Fai struggling to breathe in his lap he had a hard time caring about anything else. 

If Fai died Kurogane was going to find Kyle and rip his throat out with his teeth.

\--

Everything was chaos and pain for a while. Fai swore he heard Kurogane calling his name, but the sound of his voice was muffled and far away, garbled and distorted and all Fai wanted was to answer him. Ask him to make whatever was burning at his skin and pulling at his blood stop. The air was blinding and dry and it clawed at his lungs.

Is this what the Light felt like to his kind? 

He heard Kurogane’s voice again, this time he could make out the words -- his name, his mother, pleas for help -- not that it did him any good. He tried to respond, call out to Kurogane. There was something he needed to say, something important. 

Other voices joined Kurogane’s. They sounded worried. Were they worried about him?

“... the Mirror… Queen Yuuko… dying… dying… help him…”

Voices and words faded in and out. Fai’s head throbbed with each syllable. 

“It’s been two days,” Kurogane said. “You’re sure there’s nothing to help him?”

Fai fought through the pain to listen.

“There’s hardly anything at all, helpful or not,” someone said. “The few scraps of information we can find all said he should be dead already. I’m sorry.”

With the amount of pain Fai was in he wasn’t surprised to hear he should be dead, he felt like he should be. Goddesses, he’d welcome death right now if it would end this pain, but not quite yet. He still needed to tell Kurogane something important. Something about the Mirror.

“If we get him back to the Twilight he should be fine,” a different voice said. “We have people searching everywhere for Kyle and the shard.”

That was it.

“Won’t work,” Fai gasped through gritted teeth. Each word was like gravel in his throat, fire in his lungs. “Only a Twili can restore it.”

It had been part of the agreement made centuries ago when the Hero had reunited with the Twilight Princess. The use of the Sol to recreate the Mirror had tied the artifact even more closely with the Twilight, allowing magicians of a more common caliber to open the portal to the Light. The Hero and his Princess had agreed to the terms. It was impossible for anyone but a Twili to mend the Mirror.

“Fai!” Kurogane was hovering over him in a second and Fai struggled to open his eyes. His vision was blurred around the edges, unconsciousness threatening to pull him away at any moment, but he could see Kurogane’s face, pinched with worry. “Hey, can you hear me?”

He couldn’t muster the strength to speak again, but he nodded and reached up to place a hand on Kurogane’s cheek. He saw more than felt Kurogane wrap his own hand around Fai’s and knew he didn’t let go when he could no longer see it. 

Behind Kurogane, Fai could see the blurred shapes of other people, their faces too out of focus to know if he recognized them or not. “I should be dead,” Fai forced out. He should have died within minutes, maybe hours, but if he’d heard correctly he’d been alive now for days. It was difficult to think through the pain, but he had to. There was too much that was in danger for him to lie there wordlessly in agony. “Why aren’t I dead?”

“I may have the answer to that,” a clear voice said. It rang through the room, clear as a bell even though Fai’s pain-fogged brain. Fai knew that voice.

“Clow!”

“Father!”

Fai struggled to sit up, managing with Kurogane’s help, to see a blurred figure moving closer to him, one that he slowly began to recognize as Clow Reed as the man drew closer and Fai’s vision began to clear just a bit. 

Clow’s steps were slow and uneven and Fai remembered what Kyle did, what he’d tried to do. 

For a few moments Syaoran and Watanuki fussed over their father, both unspeakably happy that he was safe, alive, and with them, but soon Clow stopped them, smiled and put a loving hand on their heads. Then, he turned to Fai. “I should have guessed you’d try to leave the Twilight one day,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “Forgive me for not being able to take you myself.”

“You said you knew why he wasn’t dead,” Kurogane began. Even disoriented, Fai could see the worry tensing every line in Kurogane’s body. “Is it something we can use to help him?”

Clow sighed and sat on the cot Fai had been laid out on. “Years ago, when I was much younger and much more foolish, just a boy playing at being a man, I came to Hyrule Castle to train under the great magicians. While I lived here I met the ambassador who had come before me, Ashura. But not only did I meet them, I met Yuuko as well.

“She’d snuck out in Ashura’s shadow, much like Fai has done with Kurogane. The difference was that she had already been crowned the Twilight’s ruler. She alone had the power to walk in both realms. With this power of hers we became very close very quickly.” Clow smiled to himself as he remembered years gone by. He and Yuuko had always seemed oddly close, now Fai knew why. He didn’t understand how that applied to him, but Clow continued his story before Fai could ask.

“Her last night in this realm she spent with me, and only me. We were both fools to give into our desires like that, too young to think of the possible consequences of our actions. It took her two years to finally get the message to me that I had a son.”

Beside Clow Fai could hear Syaoran and Watanuki’s exclaims of surprise. Fai himself was staring at Clow, his mouth open like some sort of fool. There were more voices, more surprise, but Fai had trouble caring.

“I begged the King and Queen to allow me to become the new ambassador. Ashura had been thinking of retiring and I so dearly wanted to meet you, as badly as I wanted to see Yuuko again. They agreed, but I was never to reveal to anyone that I had fathered a son at all, let alone one who was half Twili. Yuuko and I kept our silences. 

“I met a wonderful woman, Yelan, and began a family with her.” At this he smiled at his two sons, Syaoran and Watanuki. “I loved her, and I loved Yuuko. They both knew, of course, though Yelan knew nothing of you, Fai. They became quite good friends, talking to each other through letters they had me carry across the worlds. They were both so important to me, just like the three of you are important to me.”

Fai tried to breathe. “So, the reason I’m not dead,” he croaked. “Is because I’m half Hylian?”

“Yes,” Clow said. “Your Twili half is suffering and causing you great pain because that side of you has been nurtured and developed. It cannot stand the Light of this world.”

“Can you help him?” Kurogane asked and Fai felt his hand tighten around Fai’s.

Clow nodded. “The spell Kyle attacked me with is a brutal and debilitating poison. Even now I’m hardly managing to hold it back. I’m going to die, either way, but at least I can do this for you before I pass. I hope you can all forgive me for failing to be the father you each deserved.”

Before Fai could stop him Clow placed a hand on his head and Fai felt the buzz of magic wash over him, soothing the wicked pain that had been tearing at him. The hot-cold feeling of his skin vanished and the unnatural coloring faded, leaving Fai as he was intended. The world around him came into sharp focus and strength returned to Fai’s body in time for him to catch Clow as he fell, exhausted and dying.

“Clow!” Carefully, Fai lowered him onto the cot while both Watanuki and Syaoran came to hover around them.

“Father…” It seemed as though neither twin had any words they could give to their father. Quietly they knelt there, heads bowed and eyes brimming with tears.

“Be kind to each other, and tell your mothers I’m sorry for leaving you all so soon,” Clow said, a smile still on his face as his eyes slid closed and his breath halted.

Fai felt tears sting at his own eyes and he viciously bit them back. He could mourn when he had revenge for Clow’s life. Hands clenched into fists Fai stood. He was a part of the Light, just as he was the Twilight and both were in danger. He could feel power within himself, his magic translated into the Light, Hylian blood long unknown and dormant rushing through him. 

“Now what?” asked Syaoran, voice tight and shoulders trembling. “We still don’t know where Kyle is, we’ve got no way to track him.”

“Of course we do,” Fai said, his voice surprisingly even, frigid with his anger. “He’s using Twili magic, he won’t be able to hide from me for long.”

\--

It had been late in the afternoon when Clow had shown up. After that everything had happened both very quickly and not at all quickly enough.

Watanuki, upon Fai’s suggestion and Sakura’s approval, had gone to the Sun Temple to keep guard over the Mirror. The entire temple would be ready to stop Kyle if he dared show his face. If nothing else they’d be able to slow him down enough for Kurogane and the others to come to their aid. Meanwhile, Fai vanished, apparently going somewhere to try and sense the Mirror’s shard and by extension, Kyle. 

He had said that the Twili magic would call to him, as they were both out of place in this world. 

All of this left Kurogane with nothing to do but hurry up and wait. Fai had left before Kurogane had even had a chance to talk to him. With little more than time on his hands he did what he could to prepare for a battle. And that was where his father found him, high up in a familiar oak tree in the inner courtyard, polishing the Blade of Light and watching the moon rise. 

“Have I ever told you how much I appreciate your predictability?” he called up to Kurogane. 

When he didn’t respond he heard his father sigh and settle himself at the base of the tree. “I know you’re worried about what’s to come, everyone is, but you’re going to have to put a bit more faith in the future.”

“We’re far more prepared this time,” Kurogane said. “I’m not worried about Kyle. This time, we’ll win.”

“I wasn’t talking about the fight, son.”

Kurogane froze, still as stone and he knew his father could sense it. To anyone who knew anything about the type of man Kurogane was, seeing how he reacted to Fai’s injuries and the following days of dread would have been more than enough to make it clear how he felt. 

He’d fought to keep himself in check, to remain calm under the pressure of possibly losing Fai because Kurogane had failed to protect him (just like he'd feared he might). He’d watched his father watch him, the man’s eyes sad as he looked at his son. Watching Fai those two long days writhe in pain, gasping for air, Kurogane had felt like a mourning soldier’s wife. He must have looked like one too.

He cursed himself and his transparency. The tone his father had used was clear. This was something they were going to discuss, whether Kurogane liked it or not. With a heavy sigh, Kurogane sheathed the Blade and climbed down the tree, taking a seat next to his father and waiting for him to begin.

Kurogane wasn’t sure what it would be that his father addressed first -- the danger Kurogane had placed Fai and both kingdoms in, the fact that Fai was an entirely different being than Kurogane was himself, something about how he should be putting his duties before his heart -- anything his father could say was not necessarily something Kurogane wanted to hear. He knew what a fool he was being, feeling this way about Fai, but Kurogane wasn’t in the business of lying to himself. 

He refused to tell himself he didn’t have feelings for Fai.

He would take whatever chastizations his father had for him with good grace. They were surely deserved.

“So,” his father began. “The first person you show interest in since that boyhood crush on Haruka and it’s the prince of the Twilight. I gotta say son, you sure do know how to pick them.”

Kurogane scoffed and looked away from his father. He wasn’t wrong when he said Kurogane hadn’t shown honest interest in another person since he was a boy, barely fourteen and blushing every time Doumeki Haruka so much as looked his way. He’d gotten himself under control after a few weeks, but the affection he felt had stayed with him for well over a year. After Haruka, Kurogane had hardly looked at another person in such a way. Fleeting glances, flustered proposals. Nothing had stuck. 

“Now, now, don’t get me wrong, I am happy for you,” his father continued. “A little concerned, I’ll admit. This won’t be easy to make work, but since when have you ever enjoyed the easy things anyway?”

“You’re not angry?” Kurogane asked, baffled. 

“A little surprised with you, if I’m honest, helping the prince run off like that. If it hadn’t been for him being Clow’s son he would have died. It was foolish of both of you to pull a stunt like this,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “But we all do stupid things when we’re in love. Just ask your mother.”

His father offered him a hand up and Kurogane took it, his father’s calloused hand familiar in his own. He wondered, as he stood there with this man who had always seemed like such a giant to him, when it was that his father had stopped being so much bigger than Kurogane, when it was that Kurogane’s hand stopped being a pudgy little thing of soft skin against the roughness of his father’s years. 

“Worry about the two of you later,” was what his father offered him along with a hearty clap to his back. “Right now, we have to make sure the bastard who thought himself big enough to stand against both crowns learns his lesson. Go get some sleep, brat.”

Before Kurogane could stop him his father reached up and ruffled his hair, strong hand adding chaos to Kurogane’s already untidy locks. Something in the familiar gesture loosened the knot that had been twisting itself around in his stomach. He was no boy, but a father’s reassurances were never something to discount he supposed. 

When he made it back up to his room it was not empty.

Fai was standing there, looking at himself in Kurogane’s mirror, one long, black finger tracing his reflection. He looked solemn, his lips thin and downturned. There was a sharpness in his eyes, though, something that could cut if he wanted it to. There was a lot going on in Fai’s life, anger and sadness and Kurogane was sure no small amount of confusion. He was so absorbed in his thoughts and reflection that Kurogane had to clear his throat to get his attention. Closing the door, he crossed the room in a few easy strides, coming to stand next to Fai in front of the mirror.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

There was a brief moment of hollow laughter before Fai looked over at Kurogane, eyes, still blue rather than their normal yellow, and smile sad. “Do you want the long or short answer?”

“I’d like the honest one,” Kurogane said. He’d spent days worrying over Fai’s fate, wondering if his inability to say no to this otherworldly being, this prince, this man who had so easily found his way under his skin had doomed Fai to death. He didn’t want lies or placations. 

Fai smiled at him, and there was affection in the expression, beneath all the hurt and sadness and worry. Kurogane almost dared call it love. “I’m tired, even though my body is whole and I can feel my strength I’m tired. Everything in my chest aches, like there’s a huge weight on it.” Fai turned to look back at himself in the mirror. 

So much had happened and Kurogane couldn’t even begin to know what was going on in Fai’s head. He wanted to understand and he wanted to help, but so much of this was so far over his head, he didn’t even know where to begin.

“Do you think my eyes will change back when I get home?” The question was said while one of Fai’s hands came up to trace over his eyes in the mirror, slow and thoughtful.

“We’ll have to see when we get there,” Kurogane answered, taking a step close to Fai.

“My magic feels different, too.” Fai said. He pulled his hand away from his reflection and looked at it thoughtfully, like he would find some sort of clue or answer in his palm. “Before it was sharp and electric. I could feel it crackle in my veins. That feeling has dimmed, it’s hardly a murmur of static now. Now it feels smooth, like water, but it’s warm like your sun without burning. It feels… light.”

Kurogane took Fai’s hand in his, ran his thumb over his knuckles gently. He hated how lost Fai looked.

It seemed like Fai was about to say more to Kurogane, whether about how he was feeling or something else Kurogane never found out. Fai’s eyes went wide, startled looking almost and he pulled away from Kurogane to push opening the shutters and curtains that kept his window closed and looked out into the night sky.

He could feel the urgency and prickling anger in the air before Fai spoke.

“Kyle.”

“What?” Kurogane said, making his way over to the window and peering out of it himself. He saw nothing but the empty courtyard illuminated by the waning moon and starry sky. “Where? Here?”

Fai shook his head, his hands balled into fists against the windowsill. “No, not here, but I can sense him using the shard. We have to go, now.”

“I’ll alert the princess and my father,” Kurogane said, already pushing away from the window and heading towards the door. Fai’s voice stopped him.

“No. There’s no time. We have to go now. I’ll lose him if we wait, the magic is fleeting,” Fai growled. “Are you coming with me or not, Kurogane?”

There was vengeance burning in Fai’s eyes, his sharp teeth were bared in a snarl, and Kurogane could practically taste the bloodlust on him. There was no hesitation in extending his hand for Fai to take. The Blade was still strapped to his side and he was ready to ram it through Kyle’s gut.

Fai’s grip on Kurogane’s wrist was tight, verging on painful, as he pulled the pair of them close, lifting himself into the air to hover at eye level with Kurogane. With a wicked grin that promised nothing but violence Fai snapped his fingers and the feeling of being unmade enveloped Kurogane as they teleported to wherever it was Kyle had been foolish enough to think he could hide.

Fai’s magic landed them in what Kurogane quickly recognized as the Ordon Province, deep within the forest, well beyond where the people dared venture. Ruins of temples long fallen and forgotten lay about the ground, covered in moss with flowers sprouting out of the cracks. Part of an archway that might have once been a door stood in front of Kurogane, crumbled and in pieces, edges rounded by time and nature.

“Through there,” came Fai’s voice, a quiet echo in the still, night air. “He thinks I’m dead, so let’s give him a surprise.”

The upturn of Kurogane's lips was sharp as he stepped forward and though he knew he couldn’t actually feel Fai in his shadow there was still the sensation of a comfortable weight at his back.

The clearing he found Kyle in was strange. Even as his and Fai’s desire for revenge coated his throat and roiled in his stomach and chest the air around them held a regal sort of peace. It remained undisturbed by their presence, aloof and immaculate even as Kyle spotted Kurogane and laughed, a sick sound empty of mirth. 

“You either have incredibly good luck or dreadfully bad luck to find me here. Alone.” Hearing Kyle made Kurogane sneer, made him wish for those jaws he’d had as a wolf, those mighty claws and fangs and the power and intimidation no mere man could ever hope to muster. He wanted to rend Kyle’s flesh with the ferocity of a wild beast and feel this man’s blood -- this man who dared hurt those precious to Kurogane, for it hadn’t only been Fai affected by Clow’s death, no, far from it -- drip from his muzzle. “I’m willing to bet it’s the latter.”

“You’ll be eating those words when my blade is stuck into your gut,” Kurogane barked, drawing the Blade of Light. It shimmered in the darkness of the night, bright and powerful and Kurogane swore he felt it thrum, as if it were greeting the air around them.

Kyle was smirking at him, unthreatened and haughty. “Tell me, Sheikah, how long did it take that Twili I cursed to wither away to nothing? Minutes? Hours? Did he scream?”

Kurogane didn’t even have to fake the rage that tore itself from his chest. Kyle’s taunts had come too close to being reality for him. “SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!!”

As Kyle cackled Kurogane charged, anticipated the bolts of dark magic that Kyle threw at him. He made a swing when he got close enough, didn’t slow when Kyle dodged it and leapt to the left. Kurogane followed him, his movements as swift and lethal as his life’s training had taught him to be. The teachings of his tribe, of his people, rang clear in his mind; his very blood singing as he fought. Every Sheikah was a proud warrior, generations and centuries had seen them fight, with steel in their hands and bones, their very hearts beating for battle.

This historyless man with his stolen magics stood no chance against him and the might of his ancestry.

Kurogane had to hand it to Kyle, the man was good at running away from him. Kurogane had yet to land a solid blow, only managing to snare and tear at fabric, but Kyle was beginning to wear thin, his chest heaving and face pale. The end was drawing close and the look in Kyle’s eyes said he knew it. 

“I should have killed you all back in the Mirror Chamber when I had the chance. I should have slaughtered that entire temple, tore it to the ground where it belongs!” Kyle spat. “But no matter, this shard will do what I need of it, as soon as I unleash its proper potential.”

The shadows around them darkened, became inky and heavy. The air rebelled against the sudden oppression of darkness, the Blade burned brighter in defiance of Kyle's new trick.

From beneath Kyle thick, oozing tendrils rose from the shadows at his feet, slithering their way slowly up his legs and torso. The look in his eyes was manic, wild and dangerous like a cornered animal.

“Stop him! He’ll turn into a Cursed One at this rate!” Fai hissed in his ear. Kurogane obeyed without a moment’s pause. “Closer!”

Shadows leapt for the ground, trying to grab onto Kurogane stop him, beat him back and slow him down to buy Kyle more time. Even as he dodged them he knew it was working, the inky tendrils were lapping at Kyle’s shoulders and neck, swallowing his human form in darkness born of greed. 

When he was just out of reach of Kurogane’s sword Fai sprung from his shadow and ripped away the shard from Kyle’s unguarded hand. One of Fai’s hands grabbed a fistful of Kyle’s hair and ripped his head back, his other arm hooked around Kyle’s arm and locked it behind his back, opening the bastard for Kurogane’s attack. 

His Blade tore into Kyle’s gut like a knife through warm butter. He twisted it inside of Kyle, making sure their eyes met. Making sure Kyle knew why Kurogane dug into him. Kyle died with a pathetic, choking gurgle and blood on his lips, crumbling like a ragdoll to the ground when Kurogane pulled his Blade away and Fai let his body go.

Around them the air buzzed and it felt like the cheering of a crowd.

They stepped away from Kyle’s body, Kurogane still gripping the Blade, dripping with blood, and Fai clutching the shard he’d recovered close to his chest. Kurogane was fully prepared to leave Kyle’s body there for the wilds to claim. Kurogane would have let his body rot alone here, unburied and with no mourning. He would have, was going to, but when he stopped to take a look at where they were he knew he couldn’t do that. 

Further beyond the arch, past a pair of worn statues, one of them adorned with the Eye of Truth visible even through the moss and erosion, almost completely obscured by low hanging branches stood a sword, buried deep into a pedistal. It was the legendary sword, the Blade of Evil’s Bane.

“Oh Goddesses,” Kurogane breathed, taking a reverent step towards the holy relic. 

They were in the Sacred Grove. The very land that the Hero once walked upon in order to save the kingdom, the place where a grand temple had stood, a holy place dedicated to the Goddesses. The Sacred Realm had once touched this very earth as the Hero and Princess of Wisdom had fought back the Great Evil. They were the first people to set foot here in over two centuries. 

When Fai asked, Kurogane told him as much. “We can’t leave his body here. This place is sacred, I won’t have more of his filth soiling it than I can help.”

Kurogane wasn’t exactly sure how they were going to move Kyle’s body, but then Fai looked thoughtful and asked “How about that desert where the Mirror is kept?”

It was as good a place as any and the Moldorms would have him devoured by sunrise. Before Kurogane could ask how they were going to get him out there though Fai snapped his fingers and between one blink and the next Kyle was gone and all that was left in the grove was Fai grinning. Kurogane felt his heartbeat kick at the easy show of Fai’s magic and in no way was it bad.

“Ready to go fix this mess, Kuro-woof?” Fai asked, stepping up into his space, leaving just enough room to hold the shard up between them.

“We should really head back to the castle and let the princess and everyone know we’ve found the shard,” Kurogane said, reaching his free hand to grab at Fai’s robes and drag him closer.

Fai pulled the shard away and tilted his face up. “We will, but the shard’s been away from the Mirror for long enough. Just a quick detour.”

“You make fixing it seem like such a simple task,” Kurogane said, leaning down until their lips brushed together as they spoke.

“I’ll at least make it look easy,” Fai laughed as he surged up, tossing both arms around Kurogane’s shoulders and kissing the breath from him. 

\--

In the end it had been as easy as fitting the shard back in place like a puzzle piece, Fai’s magic thrumming from it like a heartbeat until the cracks Kyle had caused vanished. During their report to the princess Kurogane had speculated that Kyle had been trying to corrupt the Blade of Evil’s Bane, to use the powerful relic for his own means. Both Sakura and Watanuki had scoffed at the idea, insisting that the holy blade was beyond such trivial things as corruption. The way they spoke made it sound as if the sword had a mind all its own.

Hyrule Castle had been ecstatic to receive news that the Mirror was safe and the man who had attempted to endanger them was dead, and Sakura, the darling girl, had practically insisted Fai stay for a celebration. He’d wanted to, honestly. He had two brothers he wanted to get to know and a whole world that he had dreamed of exploring was finally, truly open to him, but he had no doubts that Yuui had vanished and Fai was surprised that his mother had yet to make an appearance in the Light to find him. He needed to go home.

Kurogane came with him. 

“How angry do you think she’ll be?” he asked, stepping onto the plate that would summon the flight of stairs into the Twilight.

Fai shrugged and stepped up beside him. He laced their fingers together and smiled up at the Sheikah. “I don’t know, but seeing as she did the same thing and I’m not coming back with a child I imagine she’ll find it in herself to forgive us.”

“You did almost get yourself killed,” Kurogane helpfully pointed out.

“She doesn’t need to know that,” Fai huffed, raising an eyebrow at Kurogane as if challenging him to spill the secret to the queen. Kurogane chuckled and Fai laughed, the sound echoing from the Light and into the Twilight as they were transported.

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> Fanart by the wonderful and talented [witch-star](http://witch-star.tumblr.com/) over on tumblr. Check her out and give her some love!!


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